Screenshot of article excerpt: Highmark refused to pay for the emergency medical treatment for the colon infection. In a bizarre twist, that denial letter listed her husband as the patient but made reference to the care of a newborn, not that of a 52-year-old man having a mental health crisis. “It was determined,” the letter said, “that your newborn does not meet the criteria for coverage of an inpatient hospital admission.” “This is when I really start to think they’re just denying,” she recalled. “They’re not even looking. They’re just ‘deny, deny, deny.’”

One insurance denial for Teressa's husband stated, “your newborn does not meet the criteria for coverage.”

“This is when I really start to think they’re just denying,” she recalled. “They’re not even looking. They’re just ‘deny, deny, deny.’”

➡️ Full story: www.propublica.org/article/ment...

i’m not going to be lectured about political violence by people whose politics is violence

A U.S. tile map that depicts the measles vaccination rate for kindergarteners (according to CDC data) in each state from 2013 to 2023. A key explains that for each state, a gray dotted line represents the benchmark for herd immunity: a 95% vaccination rate. Vaccination rates above 95% are shown in blue, while vaccination rates below 95% are shown in orange. Looking at the full map, the trend lines lean much more orange than blue. Measles vaccination rates in most states were below herd immunity in school year 2023-2024.

National rates for four major vaccines, which had held steady before the COVID-19 pandemic, have fallen significantly since, according to our analysis of federal kindergarten vaccination data.

In fact, measles vaccination rates were below herd immunity in most states in 2023: propub.li/3YxYNnw

A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that ... information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.

HOLY SHIT. You need to read this in its entirety. Way too much to even begin to summarize but it's really, REALLY bad. It's just one agency, NLRB, but it's likely happening at others. We are under attack, seemingly from the inside. What's happening here should put folks in prison

a man in a marching band uniform has the letters lm on it Alt: Mr. Milchick and the Lumon marching band dancing

the boys when it turns out Strom Thurmond and Elon Musk are having to devour feculence on the same night

Game Developers Fear Anti-Trans Measures Could Hit Their Industry Next As companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon follow President Trump’s moves to roll back diversity initiatives, trans and genderqueer devs worry their already struggling industry could follow suit.

And as companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon follow President Trump’s moves to roll back diversity initiatives, trans and genderqueer devs worry their already struggling industry could follow suit.

“When a marginalized dev is harassed, they’re on their own."

Researchers Rush to Save US Government Data on Trans Youth—Before It Disappears In the face of the Trump administration's anti-trans efforts, researchers and volunteers around the world are backing up federally-funded studies, and vowing to keep the resources online.

On #TransDayOfVisibility, we revisit our piece on how researchers and volunteers—in the face of the Trump administration's anti-trans efforts—are backing up federally-funded studies, and vowing to keep the resources online.

A thread ⬇️

This is horrible to post, but I may as well post it. We are essentially shutting down research operations in my group, which is focused on treatments for pediatric brain cancer. I’m a well funded investigator, and there’s no choice. Science can’t function without the stability of NIH

Gavin Newsom pressured behind the scenes to kill pro-LGBTQ+ bills, state lawmakers say The bombshell revelation from Politico is part of a disturbing trend among some Democrats.

1. Gavin Newsom launched his podcast where he "completely aligned" with far-right activist Charlie Kirk on some transgender issues.

Now, members of his party says he's worked behind the scene to kill pro-LGBTQ+ bills in California.

The latest from S. Baum.

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The topics being flagged for scrutiny touch on the personal priorities of Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has repeatedly promoted medical conspiracy theories and false claims:

Are the next 4 years really going to be logging on everyday to sentences like "a 19 year old doge intern called Big Balls has your social security number" because I'm already at capacity for this sort of thing

A weighted blanket isn’t enough — I need to be slowly flattened under a hydraulic press.

MALAN Fire & Wind Storm Resources

If you’re in the L.A. area and you’re looking for the helpers:

acclaimed sicko john waters smiles with his trademark pencil-thin moustache

the sphere towering ominously and purpley in the las vegas skyline

give john waters control of the sphere